Different Types of Trailers

[antic3]

At the moment I have about 50 Thousand Miles experience doing Drop and Hook only with my Prime Mover, just been reading a few posts with Trailer content and have a few questions
My Truck is a Western Star 57X 600 hp, 2750 Nm and I am Level 26

1) What types of Trailers are available and what Cargo do they carry
2) How do I purchase a Trailer and which one is a good starting point
3) Can I have Trailers and have the ability to change to Drop and Hook and back to Trailers if I wish
Cheers

[Aspen Ridge]

I don't usually buy trailers...but I think a Reefer is a good choice...it can transport many types of cargo....and yes you can just dismiss your trailer anytime you want to go back to Freight Jobs...it will be sent back to your garage and be ready for you or any of your drivers to use (if you have any) and you can also make it Private so no other driver can use it....it's cool to personalise your trailer to match your truck as well...or just leave it stock if you like.

[Reese]

1. Fuel tankers, flatbeds, reefers, dryvans, lowboys, cattle hauler, ... uhh one more I think.
1.1 They Reefers can carry anything dryvans can. Flatbeds haul what you'd expect, same for fuel tankers.
2. Trailer Purchase option in the menu. No place in the game world exists to buy trailers. I'd choose Reefer as my first due to variety and secondary bonus is standardized size/shape. Good for practice.
3. When accepting a job at a location for a freight job, the game will inform you that you need to dismiss the trailer to continue, and you have the option to say no if you want to keep it and choose another load.
3.1 You can't just reconnect a dismissed trailer. But if you have console enabled, selecting a trailer in the menu will spawn it at that trailers garage, when you can then go into freecam and Ctrl+F9 with console/developer enabled to spawn in place with the trailer attached. Watch out for obstacles behind your truck or you'll damage the units.

[antic3]

Ah, so you cannot buy a Trailer and back it in to various pickups, unload and carry on to next job.

So, would it be fair to say that what I am doing, Drop and Hook would be the most profitable way to make a living in this game considering that I have had all manner of jobs including live cattle, farm machinery and much more.

A trailer would limit your opportunities to one section of the industry, have I got it right here?

[Hylton Trucking]

Originally posted by antic3:

Ah, so you cannot buy a Trailer and back it in to various pickups, unload and carry on to next job.

So, would it be fair to say that what I am doing, Drop and Hook would be the most profitable way to make a living in this game considering that I have had all manner of jobs including live cattle, farm machinery and much more.

A trailer would limit your opportunities to one section of the industry, have I got it right here?

That is correct.

[jaquig]

actually, you lose more time from money making runs with the trailer, you have to drive from drop to pickup point with no load.
specialised trailers like flat-deck or lowboys are even worse, as they have fewer jobs even though the jobs pay a lot more.

[🦊 Hermit]

If you get a trailer with a wide selection of cargos, like the box trailer (or variant), then you'll still have plenty of jobs to choose from. Even stuff like hoppers and flatbeds give a good amount to choose from in my experience. It's only if you get something super specialist, like a gas tank trailer which only has a couple of load options, or a fuel tanker which has to have a refinery business in the town, that you'll start feeling particularly limited.

And I would disagree with the argument that you lose money with your own trailer because you have to drive from drop point to pickup point - you have to do that exact same thing with your own truck, whether you have a trailer or not, so the cashflow is pretty much identical there. Only difference would be if you were taking quick jobs instead of using your own machinery.

There is, of course, one more overarching factor to consider here which cannot be overlooked...the coolness of cruising around with your truck and trailer painted up in matching livery and colours! That particular detail cannot be overstated, or ignored...

[TheAmir259]

Lowboys and Skateboards actually have as much, if not more cargo options than dryvans/reefers actually, so i don't see how they lose out in that aspect. For the most part, Lowboys are only losing out when the city you want barely has depots that can support it (i.e. current San Francisco and the likes).

[antic3]

My garage is in Phoenix but I am never there, as an OTR Trucker I have bought myself a Sleeper Cab so I am happy to keep Travelling to the end of my week where I do my 36 hr reset at the nearest truck stop from last delivery

I don't really know if the way I operate is realistic, I work for one company dispatcher talking good jobs with the bad, most of my pickups are at the drop off job so not really any bob tailing anywhere

Does this happen in real life, that's why I am tossing up the idea of buying a box type trailer.

[Hylton Trucking]

Originally posted by antic3:

My garage is in Phoenix but I am never there, as an OTR Trucker I have bought myself a Sleeper Cab so I am happy to keep Travelling to the end of my week where I do my 36 hr reset at the nearest truck stop from last delivery

I don't really know if the way I operate is realistic, I work for one company dispatcher talking good jobs with the bad, most of my pickups are at the drop off job so not really any bob tailing anywhere

Does this happen in real life, that's why I am tossing up the idea of buying a box type trailer.

It is realistic. Power only (owner/operaters picking up a trailer at shipper & dropping it at receiver) may not be extremely common but does exist. When some companies get short handed they hire trucks

[Hurricane5]

Job options:
Quick jobs - the job provides trailer and truck and you can choose anywhere in the map...
Freight Jobs - the job provides a trailer for you.
Cargo jobs - you provide the trailer and based on the trailer being attached, the game will select the appropriate jobs for that trailer..
Select your location on the map and the game will display jobs available in the local area... otherwise, the game will provide a GPS route to the job location, and you will need to travel empty to that spot, secure the job, and load up the trailer... If not local job, keep in mind the time the job expires and how long it takes to reach its location....
External jobs (World of Trucks - cargo and freight) - once you get the job, your speed limit is 65 mph.. watch out for the expected time and trip duration...
Hope this helps...

[rhuffp]

I used to have about 550 trailers. Got rid of them all. If you are just a single driver and have no employees, then a trailer is OK. If you have multiple drivers, then they are locked into that load that the trailer can haul. I found that more drivers were returning with empty trailers with no cargo. Hook and drop means they can haul any load.

[Tom Johnson]

Here is a good guide on the trailers for ATS, plus there is lots more information
https://truck-simulator.fandom.com/wiki/American_Truck_Simulator_Trailers